Held Corporations Research Articles

Edema and Trismus Assessment After Applying Kinesiotape With the Web Strip Technique Compared With Cryotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Extraction of impacted third molars is one of the most common oral surgeries performed in the dental clinic, which is often accompanied by many complications such as edema and trismus. Many methods have been used to alleviate these complications, such as drugs or physical therapy. Kinesiotape (KT) has recently spread as a popular physical method for eliminating complications after surgical extraction of lower third molars after its long-term use in sports medicine and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. The current study aimed to study the effect of using KT (Kinesio® Holding Corporation, Albuquerque, NM, USA) on both edema and trismus after impacted third molar extraction. This study was designed as a randomized controlled clinical trial using the split-mouth technique and included 25 patients with radiographically symmetrical lower third molars from patients. All surgical extractions were performed by a single surgeon under sterile conditions according to the standard surgical protocol after that one group applied KT and the other group applied cryotherapy. Edema and trismus were measured in the first five days. Data was collected and analyzed by SPSS software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The mean change in the total linear facial measurements in the experimental group (Kinesio Group) was 12.32 mm three days after surgery, and then this value decreased to 6.80 mm, while the average increase in the control group (Cryo Group) was 17.00 mm after three days, then the value decreased to 9.68 mm five days after surgery. Regarding the changes in the amount of maximum mouth opening after surgery, the results were similar between the Kinesio Group and the Cryo Group, as there were no significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). This study concluded that KT was superior to cryotherapy when studying edema. The current study also concluded that the mouth opening was similar between the two study groups.

Talisman Energy and the Second Sudanese Civil War

Holding corporations accountable for complicity in international crimes is especially difficult, due to lacking international legal guidelines and the fact that corporations do not become complicit for the same reasons that perpetrators commit crimes. The oil company Talisman Energy has been praised for its 2003 divestment from Sudan, but the corporation was never held accountable for its involvement in the second Sudanese civil war and victims were not compensated. This paper analyzes the Talisman Energy case through the lens of the International Commission of Jurists’ framework for corporate complicity, and illustrates the advantages of an adaptable knowledge and foresight threshold complemented by measures of causality and proximity. Adopting a holistic framework like this in legal provisions may prevent wrongful acquittals in the future and contribute to transitional justice for the victims of international crimes. While there is more work to do to design the appropriate legal provisions, this exploratory study recommends three fields of action: a broader awareness of the corporate accountability gap; a consideration of corporate accountability in transitional justice programs; and further research on the overlap between corporate accountability and transitional justice.

Strategic Decision-Making in Large Holding Firms: Diversification, Influencing Factors, Similarity and Difference, and Challenges

Holding corporations offer a distinctive environment for strategic decision-making because of their intricate organizational structures and varied portfolios of subsidiary enterprises. This study explores the subtleties of strategic decision-making within huge holding companies, looking at both the shared and unique strategies used by these corporate behemoths. It does so by using a thorough analysis of case studies, industry reports, and interviews with important players. The study reveals several common factors, such as a dedication to long-term value creation, portfolio optimization, and risk management, in the strategic decision-making of large holding organizations. Additionally, it emphasizes how crucial leadership, governance frameworks, and the harmony between centralized and decentralized decision-making are to achieving strategic goals. This study article gives useful insights for both academic researchers and practitioners on the subject of corporate strategy by offering a thorough investigation of the strategic decision-making processes of big-holding organizations. The results lay the groundwork for future research in the areas of corporate governance, management, and performance improvement. They also provide a greater knowledge of the varied nature of decision-making within complex corporate ecosystems.

Breaking ground in ESG assessment: Integrated DEA and MCDM framework with spherical fuzzy sets for Vietnam's wire and cable sector

In corporate sustainability reporting, the credibility of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information is paramount, especially for socially responsible investors relying on ESG metrics. This study proposes an integrated method combining Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (SF-AHP), and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (SF-WASPAS) under the Spherical fuzzy environment to assess the ESG performance of Vietnam's wire and cable companies by integrating quantitative indicators from financial statements and qualitative factors from literature reviews and expert interviews. Firstly, the DEA-Malmquist model gauges the efficiency performance of the ten wire and cable enterprises through five critical financial indicators. Secondly, using expert opinions, the SF-AHP method determines the weights of 16 selected ESG criteria, offering a qualitative dimension to the evaluation. Subsequently, the SF-WASPAS approach ranks the ten businesses based on aggregated scores derived from the criteria, forming a robust foundation for ranking. Furthermore, a comparative analysis demonstrates the practicality and reliability of our proposed framework against the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (SF-TOPSIS) and Fermatean fuzzy WASPAS. While the Malmquist results highlight SAM Holding Corporation (A6) with the highest average efficiency score, a holistic assessment across all three ranking methods places Vietnam Electric Cable Corporation (A1) at the forefront, closely followed by Hai Phong Electronic Mechanical JSC (A2). By harmoniously blending quantitative and qualitative perspectives and employing robust evaluation techniques, this study extends to effective resource management, targeted investor attraction, and heightened stakeholder engagement, offering substantial benefits to the wire and cable industry's ESG endeavours.

Short-term effect of Kinesiotape™-application on running speed, agility and plyometric performance in amateur soccer players

Soccer is a physically demanding team sport requiring players to run fast, perform multiple changes in direction and jump, among other skills. Soccer players with optimal running speed, agility and plyometric abilities are more likely to be selected for team participation, as they will have enhanced on-the-field performance. Various exercise and rehabilitation protocols exist to ensure optimal player performance, but none focus on the immediate effect of Kinesio tape (Kinesio Holding Corporation, Albuquerque, NM, USA) on the stabilising muscles of the lower limb to influence important basic soccer skills. A one-group pre-test–post-test quasi-experimental design was used. Thirty-three male university-level soccer players aged 18–35 years with no history of lower limb surgery were included. Baseline testing was performed using the vertical jump test, Modified Illinois Change of Direction test and a timed 50-metre sprint. After a rest period of 1–4 days, the participants were strapped with Kinesio tape and the post-test, using the same objective measures, was conducted. Pre- and post-test analysis was performed using paired student t-test. Improvement was observed for running speed (p≤0.001, SD: 0.685), agility (p≤0.001; SD: 2.312) and plyometrics (p≤0.001; SD: 2.451). The application of Kinesio tape on the stabiliser muscles of the lower limbs significantly improved running speed, agility and plyometrics in amateur soccer players immediately after application.

EURUS Energy Holdings Corporation Kingdom of Spain ICSID Case No. ARB/16/4 Award 14 November 2022

EURUS Energy Holdings Corporation Kingdom of Spain ICSID Case No. ARB/16/4 Award 14 November 2022

Galápagos and the plastic problem

Plastic pollution (PP) is an ongoing, pervasive global problem that represents a risk to the Galápagos archipelago, despite it being one of the world's most pristine and well-protected regions. By working closely with citizen scientists, we aimed to quantify and map the magnitude and biological effects of PP. With macroplastic abundance ranging from 0.003 to 2.87 items/m2, our research indicates that all five sampled Galápagos bioregions are contaminated with PP along their coastlines. The distribution of this debris is not uniform, with macroplastics significantly higher on the windward shores. Based on the identification information found on the examined items, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the most predominant type of plastic originating from both consumer and fisheries-based products deriving primarily from Perú, China, and Ecuador. The top three manufacturers were AjeCroup, Coca-Cola, and Tingy Holding Corporation. Through citizen science, we documented PP exposure in 52 species (20 endemic) in Galápagos terrestrial and marine environments, with exposure occurring in two ways: entanglement and ingestion. These included reptiles (8 species), birds (13 species), mammals (4 species), cartilaginous fish (7 species), bony fish (14 species), and invertebrates (6 species). The top five species with the greatest risk of serious harm due to entanglement (in decreasing order) were identified as green sea turtles, marine iguanas, whale sharks, spine-tail mobulas, and medium-ground finches. In contrast, Santa Cruz tortoises, green sea turtles, marine iguanas, black-striped salemas, and Galápagos sea lions were at the highest risk of harm due to the ingestion of plastics. Our research indicates that PP is a growing problem in the Galápagos archipelago and that additional work is necessary to mitigate its impact now and in the future.

Does ownership structure affect the ex-ante cost of capital?

The literature on ownership structure in Indian firms does not clearly show how various large shareholdings connected to controlling agency conflicts affect a firm’s outcome. Evidence suggests that large shareholders are in a stronger position to keep a firm’s management more responsible than its dispersed shareholders, thereby positively affecting the firm’s outcome. This research gap has sparked interest in examining the relationship between three large holdings – corporate, institutional, and foreign holdings – and expected returns measured using an ex-ante cost of capital approach in Indian listed firms between 2016 and 2021. The study used a pooled OLS technique to estimate the baseline results and a two-step system GMM technique to validate the baseline results. The results indicate that corporate holdings and expected returns have an inverted U-shaped relationship, institutional holdings and expected returns have a U-shaped relationship, and foreign holdings and expected returns have a U-shaped relationship. The results also reveal that while the threshold for each firm and industry can be different, on average, corporate holdings above 34.3%, institutional holdings below 14.15%, and foreign holdings below 49.80% negatively affect expected returns. The findings suggest that an optimal mix of large shareholders can reduce the risk of any group exerting excessive control over a company and provide benefits in terms of efficient monitoring. Expropriation of minority shareholders can occur in developing countries with weak legal protections. However, this study suggests that large shareholders can mitigate this issue by acting as a check on managerial agency problems, thereby increasing a firm’s efficiency.

Strategic Shift at Titan Watches: Will it work?

This case study analyses the dilemma and strategic decision choices faced by Titan Watches (TW) regarding its growth aspirations and competitive challenges in the Indian context. The case reflects in detail the global watch industry and the competitive landscape from the company’s standpoint and highlights the journey covering more than three decades of its history. The case analysis is conducted based on secondary data gathered from various sources. The period considered to study the company and its competitive landscape is over three decades, that is, from its inception in 1984 to 2020. The financial data and other related data used in this case study were collected from different databases, that is, Euromonitor passport, Ace Knowledge Portal, CRISIL Research and ProQuest databases. It is found that the company is planning to achieve profitable growth in its revenue but faces tough competition from both analogue watchmakers (e.g. Seiko Holdings Corporation, Citizen Watch Co. Ltd and Swatch Group) and digital watch makers (e.g. Apple Inc., Fossil Group Inc., Samsung Electronics, Garmin Ltd. and Fitbit Inc.). To the best of our knowledge, there is no case study on TW highlighting the dilemma and strategic challenges the chief managing director faced in 2019. These include the challenges of capturing market share, achieving profitable growth and balancing the image of TW between a mass-market brand and a premium brand, etc. Furthermore, it discusses how TW needs to compete with global smartwatch companies like Apple and Samsung.

Making markets ‘decisive’: a firm-level evaluation of state-led development in the China–Myanmar border region

This article critically assesses state–market relations through a comparative firm-level study of state-led development in the China–Myanmar border region. It develops a framework that foregrounds how market building is a contingent and multi-scalar process that underpins the reproduction of stable state rule. The framework is utilized to examine state-led attempts in Ruili, a border city in Yunnan province, to attract Yinxiang, a privately owned firm, and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation (BAIC), a state-owned enterprise (SOEs), to launch flagship manufacturing projects. The contrasting performance of these firms—Yinxiang successfully captured its target market in Myanmar while BAIC did not even commence production—foregrounds a pronounced tension in the ongoing market reforms. On the one hand, attempts at giving market actors more autonomy in resource allocation through supply-side structural reforms continue to be shaped by the institutional legacy of reciprocal accountability. On the other hand, the Chinese state’s willingness to allow BAIC’s investment to fail suggests it is serious about subjecting both local governments and SOEs to demand-side discipline. These findings collectively generate one distinct contribution to existing research on state–market relations: market activities are embedded within state-building processes in place-specific and often unpredictable ways.

The status and prospect of mining technology in Vietnam underground coal mines

Vietnam has the 13th largest hard coal reserves globally, withthe reserves totaling 2.22 billion tonnes, and estimated resources of 4.07billion tonnes. Coal use is playing an increasing role in the energy mix andaccording to current planning, this role is to increase further. In parallelwith the development of the Vietnamese coal sector, underground miningalso underwent many stages of improvements, especially in the last twodecades. This paper analyzes the achievement and the state of the miningtechnology applied into the underground mining by the Vietnam NationalCoal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Ltd. (VINACOMIN) during20 year period and proposes the recommendations for the sustainabledevelopment of Vietnam underground mining.

The effect of debt ratio and COVID-19 pandemic on profitability of Vietnam coal mining enterprises

After the restructure of the Vietnam National Coal – Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) from 2012 to 2015, Vietnamese coal mining enterprises recovered their investment in other industries and focused only on coal mining activities. In the context of competition and lack of resources, Vietnamese coal mining enterprises have two solutions: (1) save costs; (2) using loans to invest in new machinery and equipment to increase productivity. In 2020, coal mining enterprises faced difficulties due to complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting the socio - economic activities of countries worldwide. The article examines the impact of the debt ratio, asset structure, and COVID-19 pandemic on the profitability of coal mining enterprises. It applies the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression method on data of asset structures, capital structures, ROE of 18 coal mining enterprises from 2015 to 2020. The result showed that the debt ratio and the asset structures of a coal mining enterprise positively impact its profitability. The paper also suggests that borrowing to invest in technology will help coal mining enterprises improve their profitability. And an unexpected result is that during the COVID-19 period, coal mining enterprises have higher profitability than those not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

PENGARUH UKURAN PERUSAHAAN, PROFITABILITAS, LEVERAGE, DAN STRUKTUR KEPEMILIKAN INSTITUSIONAL TERHADAP NILAI PERUSAHAAN DENGAN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERASI

The study is aimed at assessments of corporate performance, Leverage, and institutional ownership of corporate social holdings as moderate variables of the company's corporate holdings listed at the Indonesian stock exchange. The study is a quantitative used a secondary file of annual company reports. This study sample is 307 manufacturing companies. The data analysis with classic assumptions test, regression analysis tests, and hypothetical tests. Data analysis suggests that (1) firm size has a negative signifanct impact on firm value, (2) profitability has a positive significant impact on firm value, (3) Leverage has a positive significant impact on firm value, (4) institutional ownership does not significantly affect on firm value, (5) Corporate Social Responsibility has a role in modernizing firm size relationships with firm value, (6) Corporate Social Responsibility has no role in moderating profitability relationships with firm value, (7) Corporate Social Responsibility has no role in moderating Leverage relationships with firm value, and (8) Corporate Social Responsibility has no role in moderating institutional ownership relationships with firm value.

Determining the working status of the production organization structure in the mechanized longwall when the negative impact factor has appeared

For the purpose of ensuring sustainable development, one of the important factors is to increase labor productivity and minimize the number of workers directly working in the mine. In the context of increasing requirements for underground coal mining, the number of workers tends to decline due to shifting to other types of economy. Therefore, the mechanization investment in coal mining is the inevitable destination, which guarantees the long - term strategic development of the coal mining industry. Although the mechanized mining has obtained several achievements, the annual coal mining output is still not high, specifically reaching 73.8%; 51.3%; 61.4% according to the plan respectively for the years of 2013, 2014 and 2015. A total of mechanized lines has been invested and applied in Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited, but there are only six lines in operation until at this time. For five recent years, when the mining industry has accumulated a lot of experience in using mechanization technology, it is found that the potential factors causing production interruption have resulted in the effectiveness of these longwalls not achieved as expected. Summary of advantages, difficulties, and unsuccessful implementation of mechanization technology in the condition of Quang Ninh mine area has shown a big gap in production organization that should be specifically studying. In this study, the author wants to build a basic background in determining the impact of potential factors conscious of the longwall mechanized.

The impact of factors to profitability of some coal mining enterprises after vinacomin restructure project

The article uses Dupont analysis to determine the factors affecting profitability (ROE) of Vietnam coal mining enterprises and the regression method to examine the impact of production capacity of short-term assets, production capacity of long-term assets, production capacity of costs and capital structure on the profitability of firms. The article uses financial data collected from 19 coal mining companies of Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation during the period of 2015 - 2018. The results show that production capacity of short-term assets, production capacity of long-term assets, production capacity of costs and capital structure positively impact profitability. The paper suggests 2 ways to improve profitability: firstly, borrowing to invest in technology will help coal mining enterprises improve their profitability; secondly, improving production processes appropriately to take full advantage of existing equipment capacity, thereby increasing profitability.

Coal pricing mechanism of some countries in the world and lessons learned for Vietnam national Coal – Mineral industries holding corporation limited

As one of the two largest coal production and trading units in Vietnam, Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) is still operating both under the planning mechanism and the market mechanism. Additionally, in recent years, the group's coal price is also being built under these mechanisms. In the context of increasingly deep integration, fluctuating coal price and market, the competition of imported coal is getting more and more fierce, while coal mining conditions are increasingly difficult, the coal production and trading still have many shortcomings, so it is necessary to have a coal price determination mechanism accordance with the actual conditions of the Vietnamese coal market. Therefore, in order to determine the coal price scientifically and in association with practice, the reference to the coal pricing mechanism in some countries around the world to draw lessons for Vinacomin plays an important role. The content of this article mentions the coal pricing mechanism in some countries with a large amount of coal mining and consumption such as China, Australia, Russia, Indonesia,... thereby giving a comprehensive view of the coal price management, operation and construction mechanism of some coal markets in the world and as a reference basis for Vinacomin.

The Influence of the Debt Ratio and Enterprise Performance of Joint Stock Companies of Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corp.

This objective of this study is to enrich the literature by the debt ratio and enterprise performance of Joint stock companies of Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin). The debt ratio is an important index of capital structure, and it influences and decides the enterprise performance. Therefore, the determination of reasonable debt ratio level is beneficial to the stable operation of Vinacomin's enterprises. Based on the research conclusion about the effect on capital structure of debt ratio from domestic and foreign scholar, collecting data from 2014-2018 of Vinacomin's enterprises as a research sample, the article conducts research on the relationship between debt ratio and business performance of Vinacomin, as measured by return on total Assets. In addition, the study uses free cash flow, company size, growth opportunity, investment opportunities, operating costs to sales ratio as control variables.The study shows the debt ratio of Joint stock companies of Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited has a negative effect on the enterprise performance. Furthermore, the research results of the article are references for Vinacomin' enterprises in the course of production and business activities, determining a reasonable debt ratio, and improving the operational performance of enterprises.

Analysis of Production System Management of Ghana’s Food and Beverage Industry: Empirical evidence from Spare Parts Inventory Control, Production Quality and Maintenance Modeling

The production systems of various industries have increasingly become a strategic business management function that drives differentiation and competitive edge. Production plant maintenance is therefore an integral part of an entire production system management function, which should encapsulate spare part inventory control systems, total quality assurance, improvement measures and cost control measures. This project sought to understand the production process of firms in Ghana’s food and beverage industry, assess the spare part inventory management practices, production quality control practices and maintenance management strategies implemented in order to recommend a maintenance optimization modeling system towards ensuring an optimal operation cost and production quality. Using both the inductive and deductive research approaches, the research project was exploratory and explanatory in nature. Three major players in Ghana’s food and beverage industry: GIHOC-DCL (Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation Distillery Limited), Heathy-Life Ghana Limited (Healthy-Life) and Parlays Ghana Limited (Parlays) were purposively sampled as industrial case studies to generate data from documentary secondary data and survey based sources. The functionality tools available in MATLAB/Simulink software assisted in formulating the maintenance optimization problem, modeling, analyzing and deriving solutions. The study found that the food and beverage processing business in Ghana has a positive correlation with the main agricultural produce of the country and involves a series of activities including processing and preservation of meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, starch products, bread and sugar. Spare part inventory management and quality control tools mainly applied include Statistical Control Charts and Check Sheet rather than optimization models and software.

Removing Barriers to Regenerative Medicine And Promoting Innovative Applications: The Discovery Of Human Endogenous Pluripotent Muse Cells

Multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells are naturally existing, non-tumorigenic reparative endogenous stem cells identified by SSEA-3 expression. Muse cells are able to differentiate into nearly all cell types in the body, mobilize from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood and distribute to the connective tissue of organs, and contribute to daily minute repair of damaged/lost cells by spontaneous differentiation into tissue-compatible cells. Endogenous Muse cells express receptors for damage signaling by sphingosine-1-phosphate and are thus able to specifically home to sites of damage to regenerate healthy tissue by simultaneous differentiation into multiple tissue-constituent cells. When the number of endogenous Muse cells is not sufficient, administration of exogenous Muse cells delivers robust functional recovery. Muse cells do not need to be "induced" or genetically manipulated to exhibit pluripotency or to differentiate into various cell types for clinical use. Intravenous drip is the main method of administration, making surgery unnecessary. Furthermore, because Muse cells have an immunomodulatory system similar to the placenta, donor-derived Muse cells can be directly administered to patients without human leukocyte antigen-matching or immunosuppression therapy. Clinical trials for the treatment of myocardial infarction, stroke, and epidermolysis bullosa by intravenous delivery of donor-derived Muse cells are currently being conducted by the Life Science Institute Inc., a member of the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation. Overall, Muse cells may safely provide clinically relevant regenerative effects compatible with the 'body's natural repair systems' by a simple, cost-effective strategy—collection of Muse cells, large-scale expansion, and intravenous administration.

Research on Management Accounting of Fixed Assets at Vinacomin, Vietnam

The research was conducted to find out about the current situation of management accounting for fixed assets at enterprises of Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation (Vinacomin), Vietnam. Data was collected through interviews with directors, chief accountants, fixed-asset accountants, heads of other departments in the surveyed enterprises, auditors, experts in accounting and auditing field. Analytical procedures are employed in this research. The results indicate that the management and use of fixed assets in enterprises of Vinacomin are still inefficient; applying the improper depreciation methods for each type of fixed assets; most enterprises have not yet developed and analyzed the system of indicators to assess investment situation, technical status and efficiency of using fixed assets. Keywords: Management accounting, fixed assets, efficient use, Vinacomin. DOI : 10.7176/JRDM/61-04 Publication date: November 30 th 2019